1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a savoury vegetable preparation which is storable at room temperature and is suitable as a topping and/or filling, and to a process for its production.
2. Description of the Related Art
Preparations of this type are widely known as relish and are used as hors d'oeuvre, for appetizers, as a topping or, depending on consistency, as a spread and, in particular, as a filling for snack products. If they are subjected to a baking process in the production of the end products, they must be substantially heat stable and resistant to baking.
Current vegetable preparations consist of a substantially homogeneous base mass in which structure-giving constituents in small or coarse pieces are present. The viscosity of the base mass varies depending on the application and is of importance for the product; furthermore, however, the consistency of the constituents in pieces determining the structure is of extraordinary importance for the organoleptic properties of the product. If these structure-giving constituents consist of vegetables, they must be subjected to at least one short-term cooking process or at least one blanching process in order to lose the properties of raw vegetables, on the other hand this heating process must not last too long, in order that these constituents in pieces do not likewise receive the pasty consistency of the base mass.
In order to achieve an at least restricted shelf life at room temperature, in the case of known preparations, usually chemical preservatives are used. By adding sugars, salt or acids, the keeping quality can be improved, likewise in a known manner, but these additions lead to a sensory effect which is not desired in the case of savoury vegetable preparations, which must not be too sweet, too salty or too sour. Preservation by intensified removal of water is problematic, because relatively long evaporation times can impair product quality and, because the product viscosity is increased too greatly as a result. Decreasing the a.sub.w value by adding, for example, maltodextrin, which would not lead to an unwanted taste effect, also leads to an unacceptable viscosity increase (a.sub.w value means water activity which is defined by the ratio of the vapor pressure of the water containing medium to the vapor pressure of pure water). Adding fat could compensate for an excessive viscosity, but products of this type generally contain little fat, or no fat at all.
Producing a savoury, neither too sweet nor too salty nor too sour, vegetable preparation of the current type is therefore a particular problem.
All percentages and parts set forth herein are by weight/weight unless designated otherwise.